All Alone
by Voyevoda3203
Summary: It's Five years later and what's been going on with Quistis? How is her new life and will she ever meet up again with Seifer and the rest of the gang? Read to find out. Lata! Sorry it took so long to finally write the next chapter, but I had to deal with
1. The Sea

Disclaimer: I know the drill.... "I do not own the Final Fantasy series or any of Squaresofts characters. Don't sue me, yada, yada, yada."

__

I'll never amount to anything. I am just a thorn in everyone's side. Nobody even likes me. Not even Squall. Not even myself.

Quisits Trepe sat on her soft leather seat at her desk. Five years after the sorceress war and she was still an instructor. Above everyone else in rank. A highly respected individual among her peers. An adored role-model. 

__

But there has to be more in life than all this. I have no friends. I have no family. I have no life. 

Quistis stood up and looked out the large window that exposed the beautiful landscape. She could see young teenagers walking around the Garden happily and briskly without a care in the world. They all looked alive and glowing. "I want that," Quistis murmured. She leaned against the frame and stared longingly at them. Then she saw Irvine and Selphie. They both rested against a large tree in each other's arms. She envied them both. 

"Quistis?" A voice asked. 

She spun around to face Squall. He stood there with Rinoa in his arms. 

"Yes?" She asked. Her British intonation echoed through the hollow classroom. "What can I help you with?" Quistis walked away from the window, embarrassed, and sat back down at her long maple colored desk.

"Nothing, really," Rinoa said. She walked towards Quistis. "We just wanted to know if you wanted to come to lunch with us." She smiled at her.....sympathetically almost. 

Quistis looked at them blankly. "No thanks. I have a class next period and I need to get some things done." She stared down at her desk.

Rinoa didn't hesitate. "All right then. We'll see you later then. Bye." She skipped along side Squall and they both walked to the cafeteria. 

__

You don't have to ask me to go to lunch with you just because you feel sorry for me, Quistis thought. _I hate it when people feel pity for me because I am always alone. I hate it. But even I feel pity for myself. I am pathetic. _

"Maybe I am a little hungry," Quistis said. She stood up and stretched out her aching shoulders. "But I'm not going to stay here. I think I'll go to town or something." Quistis grabbed her leather suitcase and headed out the door. 

"What can I get you, Miss?" 

"I'll have a grilled cheeseburger with cheese and bacon on it, please," Quistis said, looking at the menu. "And can I have a refill of lemonade?" 

The waitress nodded and she took the menu from Quistis. "Sure. Your order will be out shortly." 

"Thank you," Quistis said politely. She twirled her straw in the empty glass that she had in front of her. 

"Quistis?" a voice assumed.

Quistis turned around in her booth. She saw a tall man with a large build and faintly recognizable features. "Um," she said. She pushed up her glasses a bit to aid her straining eyes. "Seifer?" she asked. Quistis stood up. No one had seen Seifer in a long time. Since five years ago. 

He nodded. "Yeah, it's me." That's all he said. Nothing else. 

There was an awkward silence between the both of them. Quistis fidgeted with her glasses. "So, well, how have you been?" 

Seifer didn't say anything. He just stared at her. 

"What?" Quistis asked. She looked around confused. 

He leaned against the booth. "Isn't the polite Miss. Instructor Trepe going to ask me if I want to have a seat?" He looked at her not smiling.

Quistis blushed. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Have a seat." 

Seifer didn't budge. "No thank you. I'm fine just standing." He grinned sharkishly.

Quistis just stared at him. "Well, if you don't want to sit down, then what do you want?" She looked at him defiantly. 

"Well," Seifer said. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Can't a guy ask someone how they were doing?" 

"Yes," Quistis said, "but if you disappear for five years after you turned against your colleagues and then shown up all of a sudden, how do you expect me to react? With open arms? Do you want me to be all happy and forgiving?" She didn't know why she was retorting at him. She just had so much bottled up anger inside of her that didn't go away.

Seifer looked at her stunned, but quickly regained his composure. "Do you all continue to blame me for what I did five years ago?" He waited for an answer, but there was none. "Listen, sorry to burst your bubble, but I didn't say 'hi' to you because I wanted a pity-party. I jus wanted to know what was going on. How you were doing. Now you can just forget it." Seifer stood up and walked out of the small diner. 

Quistis also stood up and chased after him. "Then what did you want?" she asked. She kept in step with him. "Did you want to go back to the Garden? To be apart of the group again?"

Seifer stopped. "I didn't say anything like that. I just asked how you were doing and you bit my head off." He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. "Has it really been that long?" He continued. "Five years and you go through a sudden identity change. You always used to be so forgiving, and now you're just like the rest of them." 

Quistis stood in silence, then exploded in anger. "I am not like the rest of them. It's just that you show up after all this time and you talk to me like the way you used to before. Cold. Egotistical. Cross. Why should you be the only one allowed to be angry? Just because I am polite most of the time does not mean that I can't show my emotions sometimes." 

Seifer scoffed. "Since when have you become so loud spoken, Quistis? Geez, you really have changed. The one person that I thought I can speak to about my problems is snubbing me. Ain't that a shame?" Seifer inhaled his cigarette and blew the smoke in her face. 

Quistis coughed and fanned the smoke away, her eyes firing. "You think you're the only one that has problems? You think that the world revolves around you?" Quistis took a choking breath. "I've had plenty of problems since you've been gone and who have I got to talk to? No one. Not a single person. Seifer, I have been alone in life too. Can't you see that? You're not the only person alone in this world. So get your head out of your ass so you can see that too." Quistis quieted, timid of his reaction. He just stood with his back to her, not saying anything. 

"You know what, Quistis?" he asked. He turned to face her, his eyes a cold hard blue. "I've got better things to do than listen to your pathetic little sob-story, alright?" He took another drag of his cigarette and blew it into her face once again. "So get over yourself." 

Quistis' eyes filled with tears until her vision was blurred. "You should listen to your own advice," Quistis said and walked away angrily. 

Quistis sat at her maple desk once again. She stared blankly around the class room at the group of teenagers. They all seemed carefree and happy when they entered the class. _I never had that when I was a teenager, _Quisits thought. She leaned back into her desk. _Why did I always strive on being the best? Why couldn't I just settle for something less than what everyone expected from me? _

"Uh, Instructor Trepe?" a voice asked. 

Quistis snapped out of her daze and addressed the young lady who stood in front of her. 

"Oh. Yes, Amy?" Quistis asked. "Is everything fine?" 

Amy fidgeted with her notebook. "Oh, well, I was hoping that you could tell me that. You seem a little.....stressed. We've been in class for more than fifteen minutes now and you have just been sitting there." 

Quistis looked at her silver watch. "Oh, dear," she commented. "I'm sorry, class. I am just having a bad day." She sighed and pulled out her briefcase as Amy returned to her seat. "Well, today, we will be studying the....." Quistis went into another daze. "We will be studying....." Quistis stopped and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Class, you all are dismissed. Go out and do sometihng, anything. Just go and have fun during your teenage years." She waited for the class to leave, but not a single person budged. 

"Dismissed," Quistis said a little more loudly. The class reluctantly stood up and left. 

Quistis sat down in her leather chair once more. "If only I can melt into this," she thought. "I wish I can stay here forever." She closed her eyes and began to daydream. Of how boring her life was and how she could fix it. 

"Quistis!" a stern voice interrupted her thoughts. 

Quistis jumped up from her seat to face Headmaster Cid. "Y-yes?" She smoothed her hair down to make herself more presentable. 

"Where is your class?" Cid steeped into her empty room.

Quistis began to stutter." Well-I-I dismissed them." 

Cid crossed his arms. "And why would you do a thing like that?" 

"Well, because..."

"Well?" Cid pressed. 

Quistis' mind spun. 

"Well?" Cid urged impatiently. 

"I-I haven't been feeling to well the past few days," Quistis said. She looked at the ground. "I didn't feel that I could-"

"That is no excuse, Miss. Trepe." Cid scolded. "You have to report off if you are not feeling well. What if something happens to those kids? What if they get hurt? Then that'll be my behind in the papers, not yours. They'll say that.." 

"Cid," Quistis said loudly. "I really haven't been feeling well, and if you'll excuse me now." She turned on her heel and walked towards the front gate. 

"Quistis!" Cid called after her. She didn't turn around, but she could still hear his voice echoing across the halls. "You are suspended until further notice!" 

Quistis kept walking.

"I'll have a lemonade," Quistis ordered. "That's all." 

The waitress nodded and walked behind the counter to bring her drink to her. "Here you go."

Quistis nodded. "Thanks." She took a long sip from her glass and let the cold juice trickle down her throat. 

"Are you alright?" the waitress asked her. Quistis looked up at her. 

"Yeah," Quistis lied. 

"'Cause you're looking real stressed right about now." The waitress leaned against the counter. 

Quistis scoffed. "Thanks." She got up and left the money to pay for the drink. 

She turned to leave the diner and she saw a glimpse of gray and black. "Seifer," Quistis whispered. She walked quickly out of the diner to follow him. 

"Seifer!" Quistis shouted down the street. She could see Seifer turn around to see who was calling her, then turn back. "Seifer!" Quistis repeated. She chased after him. 

"Wait!" She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "Please, I need to talk to someone." 

Seifer shrugged her off of him. "Then go somewhere else. They have specialists for that." He continued to walk down the street. 

"But Seifer!" Quistis pleaded. She walked with him. "I really, really need to talk to someone now." She stood in front of him to block his way. 

Seifer looked at her and did a double take. She really looked like crap. Her eyes were red as if she were crying recently and her face was splotchy, but he really didn't care. "Quistis, get away from me. You're becoming an annoying baby like Rinoa now. I don't want you around. Just because I wanted to say 'hi' to you yesterday doesn't mean that I want to associate myself with you." He brushed past her and continued to walk down the path. 

Quistis just stared at his back. "Fine," she said. "I guess that I have to do this myself." She turned and shuffled her feet the other way. She trudged towards the tall deck near the water and she stared into the calming blue ocean. It seemed to call her name. To urge her to become one with the water. 

__

Here I am, Quistis thought. She took a step closer to the deep blue liqiud. She could almost see her death. She could almost smell it. 

"Quistis!!" Seifer screamed out. He had broken out into a run after he saw her step towards the ocean. 

Startled, Quistis turned around sharply and lost her babalce on the wood. She could see Seifer running towards her, then she could see the light blue sky. Then she felt something crack on her head, then she saw nothing. 

A. N.: Tell me if you want me to continue this story. I would really appreciate it. Thanks. 


	2. Memories

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE FINAL FANTASY SERIES FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!!!! STOP BUGGING ME ABOUT IT!!!!!

"Quistis!" Seifer yelled. He knew something was wrong, as much as he didn't want to admit it. That's why he turned around so he can talk to her, but by the time he saw her, she was standing on the edge of the tall pier with the look of death in her eyes. 

He continued to run towards her. "Quistis!" Seifer shouted again. This time she heard him. She spun around startled and as if in slow motion, she fell to the blue water below, but not before hitting her skull against the wooden planks of the pier. 

"Oh, shit!" Seifer yelled. He ran full speed across the dock and dived into the water below. He could see Quistis' body float slowly deeper and deeper. Seifer swam as hard as he could to get to her. He couldn't just stand around and let someone die just like that. Especially Quistis. 

He was closer to her limp body now when he began to feel a peculiar tingling in his chest. He was running out of air.

__

No! Seifers mind protested. _You don't leave this water without her. _He dove deeper, ignoring all logic in his mind._ I have to get her. I must._ Seifer took one more dive and he grabbed her around her torso. He let out his breath a little early and he ended up coughing and choking on the sea water as he reached the surface. He looked around and there was a large crowd forming. They all applauded Seifer. 

__

What the hell are they doing? Seifer thought. _Someone needs help and all they can do is stand around and applaud? _"I need help!" Seifer yelled. He swam to shore, dragging Quistis along side of him. "Help!" he yelled again. 

He placed Quistis in the sand and looked at her. Her skull and been split open a little bit and he knew that it required at least fifteen stitches. Her eyes were ringed with purple and her lips were blue. 

"Oh, no," Seifer said. He shook her shoulders a bit. "Come on, Quistis," he said. "Wake up." He slapped her face a little. She just laid there. 

"Do CPR!" Someone from the crowd shouted. 

Seifer glanced up at them and nodded. He brought his lips to hers and breathed a deep breath into her lungs. Her chest rose and fell, but she didn't respond otherwise. 

Seifer balled his hands into fists and pumped her lungs. 

"Come on," Seifer pleaded. He took another deep breath and exhale into her lungs. No response. He continued to pump her chest. 

"Come on, Quistis!" Seifer yelled. He pumped her chest furiously. Then he heard the ambulance sirens off in the distance. He continued to breathe for her and pump her heart. 

"We can take it from here, son," a voice said. Seifer turned to face a paramedic dressed in all black. Seifer stood up lightheaded and took a few steps back. He saw the paramedic place a plastic air pump over her nose and mouth and he began to squeeze the air into her lungs. Another two paramedics stood on either side of Quistis and lifted her gingerly onto a stretcher.

"Where-where are they taking her?" Seifer asked. He was dripping wet and he felt weak in his knees. 

One of the paramedics who was injecting an IV into Quistis arm said "We're talking her to the Balamb Garden Hospital. It's actually a few miles south of the Garden that you train at." 

Seifer just nodded and stared at Quistis' lifeless body. Her head was turned towards him and her face showed ultimate pain. 

"What do I do now?" Seifer thought. He watched as the paramedics situated Quistis in the ambulance, and them driving off in a hurry. "Should I go back to the Garden to tell the rest of them?" Seifer pondered the thought, but decided against it due to past conflicts between him and certain other people. Without another word to the crowd who was still standing around, Seifer walked away from the beach and to his hotel room.

"Who is she?" a faint voice said. 

"I don't know," another answered. There was a pause. "No, we don't know who got her out of the ocean, but we do know that someone did. It was a male, blonde hair and blue eyes. Looks like he has trained before, but that's just what the witnesses saw." 

There was another pause. "Yes, we'll get back to you once we find out who this is." 

Quistis opened her eyes sleepily. She felt as if she had a ton of bricks weighing her down. "Hello?" she croaked out. She reached up her arm to shield her eyes. 

A man in a white robe turned towards her. "Oh. You're finally awake." He smiled at her warmly.

"Finally?" Quistis repeated. She coughed a little. 

The man nodded. "Yes. You have been out for quite some time now. For almost five weeks." 

Quistis' eyes widened. "Really? But...what happened to me? Where am I?" She looked around her to see if anything ringed a bell. Nothing did. 

"Well, we're not sure totally on what exactly happened and why it happened, though we have a rough idea on why. An ambulance picked you up at the beach. There was a young man that saved you, but we don't have any information on him. You suffered from a severe head injury which resulted into a concussion. But before we get more into that, can you please tell me your name?" The doctor took his clipboard, ready to jot down anything she said. 

"Sure," Quistis said. She opened her mouth to talk, but she went silent. Her mind was blank. "Um....my name is..." She thought harder. _I have to know my name, _Quistis thought. _It's not an IQ test. This is a no-brainer. I mean, it's your name, for crying out loud. I have to remember it. _

The doctor waited patiently. "Do you remember your name?"

Quistis stayed silent. As much as she willed her mind to think of her name, she couldn't think of it. "No," Quistis said quietly. "I don't think so." 

The doctor nodded and put his clipboard back down. "Alright, then. Can you remember anything at all? Where you came from, your family?" 

Quistis blinked hard, trying hard to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. She never knew that her name or where she was from could be so important in her life. "No. I don't even know if I have any family." 

The doctor nodded once more. "Alright, well, I'll tell you the name of this town to see if it seems familiar to you." 

Quistis nodded and waited for him to say it. 

"We live in Balamb." The name seemed to roll off of his tongue as he said it. "Do you remember it?" He sat down in a chair now, tired of standing. 

"It sounds nice, but I don't think that I remember it." Quistis looked up at him. 

"Alright, what about Galbadia? By any chance do you know that name?" He got his clipboard ready. 

"Galbadia?" Quistis repeated. _That does ring a bell. _"I-I think that I have heard of that. Tell me more about it."

The doctor scribbled a few notes down and continued. "Well, there's a specific place called Galbadia Garden. It is there where they train young adults and they become soldiers. Does that sound familiar?"

Quistis nodded eagerly. "Yes! I must be from Galbadia! I remember that I had a....weapon. A whip or something."

"Great!" The doctor said. "Well, we'll transfer you there ASAP. You had plenty of time to heal, and we're pretty sure that you'll be alright." He placed the clipboard on a rack and left the room.

"Thank you," Quistis said. She closed her eyes and smiled. _Galbadia. _

__

Three weeks Later

"Thank you once again, Doctor Spivey," Quistis said. She grabbed a bag of the few belongings that she had and walked towards the train. "You really helped me. Bye!" 

The doctor just nodded and waved. "Take care of yourself, now."

Quistis nodded as she sat down on a seat. She waved off as the train started to move. "Now I'm off home," Quistis sighed. She rested her head against the chair and closed her eyes to sleep. 

__

"Aaaaahhhhh!!!!"

I could hear faint screaming coming from the mission base. I jumped up and ran to the top of the submarine I was secured in. 

A young man with white blonde hair and a strange tattoo engraved in his face came running like mad. He was followed by a young woman with bouncy short brown hair. They both looked distressed and ran towards me. The young man looked back once, but kept running. 

Another man who was far behind tried his best to keep up, but then an enormous spider-like machine came tumbling out from behind him. He fell to the sandy beach below and didn't move. 

The machine got up, and so did the man. He sprinted towards us and the spider closely followed behind. 

I knew that I had to help somehow, but with what?

I went back down to the submarine and ran out of another door which led me to the top of the transporter. I spotted a machine gun not too far away and I dove into the seat.

The young man was very close, but so was the machine. With a burst of energy, the man leapt through the air towards the submarine. 

There, I took careful aim and fired the gun. I went through three rounds already, and it seemed like the machine was unaffected by it, but then it began to stumble back from the force of all the bullets. I kept firing. All I knew was that I had to kill it. 

By the seventh round, the machine fell down to the ground in defeat and the sub merged to leave. 

The spider was blown to bits. 

Quistis sat up straight. She was breathing hard and she had broke out into a sweat. "What was that?" She asked herself. She glanced around the empty train car and leaned back down into her seat. "It was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything." She closed her eyes once more. _If it was just a dream, why do I feel so doubtful? _

A. N.: I am going to try my best to continue this ASAP because my dad might switch to CompuServe in a few days and I won't be online for a while. Does anyone know if I can still get to this web site even though I will be on a different online service? Please tell me if you know with your review. Thanks. 

__


	3. A New Life

Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy Series. Please do not sue me. 

A.N.: In this chapter, I am going to change Quistis name, so don't get confused when I do so. Just a little warning.

Ding

__

"The next stop is Galbadia. I repeat, the next train stop is Galbadia. Thank you."

Ding

Quistis stood up, aching all over. She lifted her arms over her head and arched her back. Being cramped all day made her muscles throb and twinge.

"May I take your bags, Miss?" An old man that worked on the train offered his hand. 

Quistis looked at him. "Sure." She handed him her bags and followed him off the train. As soon as she got off, she was greeted with the beautiful sight of Galbadia Garden. There were people scurrying around everywhere, not stopping to talk to anyone. It looked so....homely. 

"There you go, Missy," the train man said. He set her bags on a near-by bench and gave her a smile. 

"Thank you," Quistis said. She handed the man a small stack of gil. 

"Oh, no," he protested. "I make enough gil off of this train and I couldn't think of taking some from a lovely lady like yourself. You keep that gil and buy yourself something nice." 

Quistis smiled. "Alright. Thank you." She tossed her bag over her shoulder and grabbed the other with her hand. This was the start of her new life. 

"Hello," a bright woman said to Quistis. "Are you from the hospital?" 

Quistis nodded and handed her a piece of paper. 

The jolly woman took it and read it very quickly. "Come this way....what is your name?" 

Quistis smiled. "My name is Adrienne. Adrienne Andrews."

The woman nodded. "Alright, come this way, then. I'll show you where your dorm is."

Quistis followed the woman down the hall. She glanced at the people walking by. They all gave her peculiar stares as if saying _Who's the new girl? _She felt as if she were a freak. 

"Here you go, Adrienne," the woman said. 

It took a second for Quistis to response to her new name. The doctor helped her pick out one that she liked and suited her. "Oh, well thank you." She walked into her dorm and smiled. It was nicer than staying in a hospital room for more than three weeks. 

"And here's your key card. You'll need this to get in your dorm. Don't lose it." 

Quistis nodded as the woman smiled at her, then left.

__

Home sweet home, Quistis thought and put all her belongings down on a couch. She unpacked through them and put them into a dresser. It wasn't much. Just some clothes that the hospital was more than happy to supply her with and a pair of boots. She had the one outfit that was on her back, so that made a total of three outfits for her. 

It didn't take her long to unpack. Less than a minute, really. This gave her plenty of time to look around now. 

Quistis got up and grabbed her card key. She opened the door and walked of into the Garden to get a more familiar sight of things. 

"Hello," someone said suddenly, jumping out in front of Quistis. 

Quistis was taken a back for a second, then responded. "Hello." In front of her was a jumpy girl, a few years younger than her. She had short red hair that bounced everywhere. 

"What's your name?" she asked. She didn't wait for her to respond. "My name is Carrie. Carrie Holmes. I've been in this Garden all of my life. If you need anything just ask me, all right?" 

Quistis nodded. "All right." 

Carrie waited. "So...."

"So what?" Quistis asked.

"So what's your name, silly?"

Realization dawned on Quistis and she smiled. "My name is Adrienne. Adrienne Andrews."

"Cool!" The jumpy girl said. "Well, I'll see you around. Bye!" 

"Bye," Quistis said a little more unenthusiastically. She could never be that hyper. Not ever.

__

Well, at least I made a friend. Quistis thought. She walked around the Garden a little more happily. 

__

At Balamb Garden.

"We need to conduct a search party." Cid Kramer said. "We'll divide the team into two groups. Squall, Selphie, and Rinoa, go search the east coast of the regions. And of you can't find her, then search wherever your instincts tell you to. Squall will be the team leader. And for the second group, out newest SeeD will lead you. Seifer. So you take Zell and Irvine and search the west part of the regions. Take as long as you need to find her." 

Seifer nodded and said quietly, "All right." 

"This is what we need to do," Seifer said as the team got into his car. "We need to search all of the near-by Gardens. We need to search all of the towns. We need to find her. So, let's go check Deiling City first. Then after that, we'll check Timber. Then we'll check the Gardens. She has to be somewhere around here."

His team nodded and they drove off to find their beloved Instructor. 

__

Back at Galbadia Garden. 

"Thank you," Quistis said to the lunch lady. The lunch lady disregarded her politeness and gave the person behind her their food. _What a grouch, _Quistis thought. She took her food and headed out to the cafeteria tables. She looked around. _Where do I sit? _She thought. She found a table near the back and decided on sitting there. _The perfect place for the new kid. _

She pulled out the chair and sat in it, her back facing the rest of the cafeteria. She didn't like to be watched when she ate. _Being alone isn't so bad. _Quistis thought. _It gives me time to think to myself and time to study so I can stay concentrated on schoolwork than hanging out all the time. _

All of a sudden, she felt something hit her back. Confused, she turned around and saw a wad of balled up paper on the ground. She picked it up and opened up the sheet of paper, trying her best to flatten it out before she read it. She didn't know what it was, but she guessed that it might have been bad, considering that she was the new kid.

She began to read what it said: _Meet us at the front entrance at midnight. If you do not, prepare for the worst. _

Quistis' heart began to speed up. _Is this some kind of a joke? There's no way I am going. _Quistis turned back around to see if anyone was looking at her, waiting for her to read the note. No one was even paying her any heed. 

She stared at the paper once more and read the lines aloud. "Prepare for the worst." 

__

At Timber

"All right," Seifer said, exasperated. "We checked Deiling and here. There is no sign of her. Next is the Gardens. The only one near here is Galbadia, but it's already late, so we need to get some rest. Let's go check into the hotel."

__

At Galbadia. 

Meet us at the front entrance at midnight. If you do not, prepare for the worst. 

Quistis read the lines over and over again. _What can they do if I don't go? Should I go? _She looked at her clock. It read 11:55. She had five minutes to decide if she wanted to go or not. _If I go, then I'll see who wrote me the note, but if I don't then the worst will happen to me. What's the harm in going? _

She decided. She was going.

"Hello?" Quistis asked. She had already walked through the Garden and it was dead quiet. There was nobody around and that made her feel uneasy. She waited by the entrance, all alone in the dark. 

"Hello?" Quistis asked again. She was becoming more and more irritated. She had been waiting for five minutes and there was a no-show. _I should just leave. _She turned around and took a step, but then she suddenly heard a creak from behind her. Startled, she turned back around to be face with by a group of girls.

"Are you the Quistis Trepe?" One girl asked. She stood out from the rest. She must have been their leader. 

"No," Quistis said. "I'm Adrienne Andrews. I just transferred here."

The one girls face got pink. "You have a Save the Queen." Quistis looked down at her waist at the whip that was attached to her. The girl continued. "The only existing ones are Quistis Trepes and my own." She patted the whip attached to her waist. "So you must have stolen it from Quistis. I am Miniki and I shall challenge you to a duel."

Quistis shook her head. "No. I am not fighting now. I just transferred her and I am not getting into any kind of trouble." She turned to leave.

The air was cracked by the sound of a whip. Quistis didn't notice it until she was unable to move. She looked down. The girls whip was wrapped around her wrist. Quistis looked back up at the girl. 

"What's wrong?" Miniki taunted. "Are you some kind of mediocre fighter? Then this should be easy." 

Quistis' eyes narrowed at the word "mediocre". For some reason, she hated that word. She grabbed Minikis whip from her wrist and unwrapped it from her skin. It left behind a deep red indentation. "Bring it on," she said. 

The girl smiled. "Happy to." Then without another word, she cracked her whip once more at Quistis, aiming for her face. 

Quistis quickly dodged the attack and unknotted her Save the Queen from her belt loop. She snapped her whip at Minikis, causing both of their whips to become tangled into each others. 

Miniki tugged and pulled, but it wouldn't come free. 

"What's wrong?" Quistis asked, mimicking her. "Are you some kind of mediocre fighter or something?" 

Her face changed to a crimson red as she struggled to free her Save the Queen. Quistis shook her head at her attempts and she tugged her own free. "Now this time really bring it on." 

Miniki snapped her whip once more, aiming dead on at Quistis hand. Quistis failed to dodge it and the searing hot pain of the whip caused her to drop her weapon. 

Miniki laughed. "Ha. You have no skill what-so-ever. Why are you carrying a Save the Queen? If you stole it off of Quistis Trepe, then she is as bad as a fighter as you are." Miniki took aim once more to hit Quistis. 

Quistis knew it was coming and she turned her body away from the whip. With her hands, she grabbed the tip of the whip and with all her might, pulled it out of Minikis hands. 

Miniki stared at Quistis in shock and hurried to grab the other Save the Queen from the ground and held it up to defend herself with. 

Quistis and Miniki circled each other, daring the other to make a move. They both stared into each others eyes, trying to predict what move was next. Miniki saw Quistis blink and she knew it was her move. She swiped Quistis with her whip, but it didn't give her the satisfying crack that she wanted. The whip slowly snapped towards Quistis, but she easily ducked out of the way and she used that advantage to its fullest. Quistis snapped her own whip and it caught on Minikis left ankle. Quistis pulled hard and Miniki fell to the ground. 

Some of Minikis friends gasped. 

"What were you saying about no skill?" Quistis asked. She stood over Miniki and took the whip from her hands. "I believe that this is mine." Then she handed Minikis whip to her. "Get up." She held her hand out to her and Miniki took it, looking ashamed and sulky. 

"You were a good fight," Quistis said, patting her on her back.

Miniki nodded. "And you were too. This fight inspires me to work harder. Thank you." 

Quistis nodded and walked back to her dorm with an extra boost of confidence in her step.

__

The next day in Timber.

"Ok, team," Seifer said to Zell and Irvine. It was 7:30 in the morning. They both looked at him, tired and curious on what the next move was. "We go to Galbadia today. If we do not find Quistis there or we don't have any kind of lead onto where she is, then we go to other places where she may have headed. Possibly the orphanage, or even the Deep Sea Research Center. We have to look everywhere. Even if the other team has already looked there, we will check again. We have to find her. Even if it takes us forever to search for her." 

Zell and Irvine nodded. "All right," Seifer said. "Let's move out!"

__

The next day in Galbadia. 

"Oh, no! I'm late!" Quistis sat up straight in her bed and glanced at her clock. It read 7:45. Classes started fifteen minutes ago. She groaned and sank back down. "There's no use now. I might as well not go to class." 

Sighing, Quistis fell back into a deep sleep.

"Any sign of her?" Seifer asked Zell and Irvine. They both shook their heads. Seifer sighed. "Well, let's keep looking."

__

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

"Huh?" Quistis gasped. She flinched awake and hit her alarm clock. It had been beeping for the past half an hour now and she even dreamed that she was talking to aliens that kept beeping. 

Tiredly, she got up and slinked to the bathroom where she turned the shower on full blast. She jumped in after getting undressed and applied peach body wash on her bath sponge. It lathered to a frothy white and the shower was filled with the scent of peaches. Quistis breathed in the fragrance and slowly began to massage her aching muscles with the sponge. Then she worked her way to her long blonde hair. She worked some shampoo into her scalp and let the water rinse the soapy substance out. She just loved the smell of peaches. 

__

"Leave the President alone," I said to a blonde man. He held a scar between his eyes that ran down from his forehead to the base of his eyes. It was a very distinguishing trademark of his. 

"No!" he yelled back, holding the President of Deiling City on front of him. "He will pay!" He held his large blade to the mans neck, daring to press harder. 

"This is not the answer," I persuaded. "You're just making things worse by doing this." 

The man hesitated. "No, I will fulfill me dream in becoming a knight!" He dragged the President off. 

Not knowing what to do, I looked at the camera that was broadcasting everything live. "Squall!" I shouted. "We need your help. You do have permission. I need you right away." 

Startled, Quistis jerked back into reality. She was breathing a little hard and realized that the shower was over flooded with hot steam. "I was just day dreaming," Quistis told herself. She shut the water off and wrapped a towel around herself. She dried herself off quickly and threw on her clothes and walked to the next room. She was greeted with a chilling air that made her shiver in response. 

"I am so hungry," she whined to herself. She walked to the small refrigerator, hoping for some kind of food that the Garden may have supplied for her. No suck luck. "And the cafeteria's probably not open just yet," she realized. "I have to go shopping for food then." 

"By any chance, was there a young woman who may have come here between now and eight weeks ago?" Seifer asked. He was standing impatiently at the front desk. 

The woman just stared at him. "Well, there are a lot of young women who come to train here, Sir."

Seifer shook his head. "But I mean, has anyone transferred here in the past month or so? Specifically a young woman with long blonde hair and she carries a Save the Queen." 

The woman smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. We have a young woman who uses a Save the Queen right in our very own Garden." 

Sefier sighed, relieved. "Can you please page he, or something." 

The large woman shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no, no. We can only page someone if there is an extreme emergency and this doesn't seem like one." 

Seifer was red in the face. "This is an emergency! We have strict orders from Balamb Garden to bring her back to the Garden where she can live!" 

The woman nodded. "All right." She picked up a small phone behind her and began to talk lowly into the receiver. After a few seconds, she hung up the phone. "She will be down here in a few minutes."

Seifer nodded and closed his eyes. 

Quistis grabbed her backpack and laced it through her arms. She grabbed a stack of gil and headed out of the door. 

"Yes?" Miniki asked. She stood at the front desk, waiting to see why she was called down from her class. 

"You have visitors," the receptionist said, pointing. 

Miniki looked at the three young men who sat down in the lobby. She walked down. "Yes?" She asked. She stood in front of the blonde one with the healing scar between his eyes. 

Seifer stood up, confused. "Who are you?" 

Miniki crossed her arms. "Well, you should be able to tell me that, considering that you called me down from my class."

Seifer looked at her hip. She had a Save the Queen looped around her belt. "Where did you get that from?" He asked. 

Miniki uncrossed her arms. "I have always had this. This is my weapon."

Seifer strode back towards the receptionist desk. "Uh, excuse me, but this is the wrong person. I asked for a girl with _blonde _hair and a Save the Queen. Not a girl with brown hair." 

The woman shook her head. "There's no one here with that description. Sorry." 

Seifer cursed and sat back down. 

Miniki turned to Seifer. "Yes there is."

Seifer looked up. "How do you know?" He stood up and faced her. So did Zell and Irvine.

"Well, a girl just transferred here yesterday. She has blonde hair and a Save the Queen." 

"Are you sure?" Zell asked.

Miniki nodded. "Yes. I know because I challenged her last night to a duel." 

Zell and Irvine slapped hands. "She's here! Quistis is here!" 

Minikis eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Quistis? That's not her name. She told me that her name was Adrienne Andrews."

Seifers face went dark. "Are you sure?" 

Miniki nodded. "Yes I am sure. I even asked her if she was Quistis Trepe because she was holding a Save the Queen and there are only two people that hold that weapon. Me and her. So I assumed that she may have stolen it from Quistis or maybe even fought her and won."

Seifer cursed again. "Great." He turned to the front desk. "Can you please page Adrienne Andrews?" 

The woman nodded, exasperated. "All right." 

Quistis walked down to the lobby towards the front entrance. The place where she beat Miniki in the duel less than twelve hours ago. _How did I learn to fight that good? _She asked herself. _I guess it must be in the genes or something. _She continues to walk towards the front entrance. 

"I'm sorry, Sir," the woman said, even though she didn't sound sorry. "There is no answer at her room and her teachers said that she wasn't in class today." 

Seifer hit the desk. "Can you try again?" 

The woman sighed. "All right." 

"Wait!" Miniki said. "There she is!" She pointed all the way down the hall. Quistis was walking out of the gates. 

"Quistis!" Seifer yelled. He ran down the lobby, closely followed by Zell and Irvine. They dodged past students and out the gate. 

"Quistis!" Seifer yelled again. She didn't turn around. He kept running and when he was close enough, he grabbed her shoulder. 

Quistis spun around, startled. She looked at three men who crowded around her. "Yes?" She asked, timidly. 

Zell hugged her happily and twirled her in the air. "It's really you!" 

Quistis struggled to get away from him. "Excuse me," she said, confused. She pushed Zell off of her and took a step back. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

Seifer took a step towards her. "Quistis," he said quietly. She took a step back. 

"No. My name is Adrienne Andrews. Why is everyone mistaking me for a Quistis Trepe?" She turned around and continued to walk away.

Seifer ran in front of her. "What are you talking about? You _are_ Quistis Trepe. Don't you......remember....." Seifer stopped short. He hadn't forgotten about that one day when she jumped off the pier to end her life. This had to be the result of it. He never got the chance to tell the rest of the guys it, though, because he thought that everything would have been alright. 

Quistis tapped her foot. "Stop playing games with me. I am tired of those, Seifer." She kept tapping her foot, but then stopped. _How do I know his name? Is that even his name? _

Seifer grinned. "You see? You are Quistis Trepe. You live in Balamb Garden and-"

"Stop!" Quistis yelled. She covered her ears and closed her eyes. "My name is Adrienne Andrews and I live in Galbadia Garden. I have always lived here." 

Zell and Irvine looked at her confused. "Quistis, what are you talking about?" Irvine asked her.

"No, not Quistis. Adrienne." She looked at each of them. Their faces seemed to blur. She vaguely remembered the blonde one with the face tattoo from her dream on the train. And she vaguely remembered the blonde one with the scar from her day dream in the shower. But what about the one with the long brown hair?

__

"And here is your assigned sharpshooter. Irvine Kinneas. Come here."

A young man in a beige trench coat and a cowboy hat laid on the grass. A small butterfly landed on his index finger, which he held out as if it were a gun. He made a small noise imitating a gun and the butterfly flew away. 

He sat forward and stood up, carrying a large gun on his side. He was nearly six feet three when he stood up. He propped his gun on his shoulder and turned to face us all. A ladies-man smile played on the corner of his lips and he walked towards us.

Quistis shook her head to clear it as she came back to reality. "Stop it. Just leave me alone!" 

Seifer reached for her and grabbed her wrist. "Quistis. You have got to remember." 

Quistis shook her head and struggled to free her arm. "No! I-I can't. Just leave me alone." She pulled hard away from him and freed her wrist, but he just grabbed her other arm. She pulled even harder. 

"Damn, you woman," Sefier rebuked. "Just stop struggling. You're coming with us." 

"No, I'm not," Quistis protested. She pulled away more urgently now. The blonde one with the tattoo was approaching her. He grabbed her feet and Seifer and Zell carried her to his car. 

"No!" Quistis cried. She kicked and struggled to get free. 

Irvine held the door open for Seifer and Zell and they both put her in it.

"We're not going to hurt you," Seifer said. "We're just taking you to where you belong." 

"That's real comforting," Quistis said and kicked her legs out. "Please. I like it here. I just want to stay here."

Zell got in the car next to her and Irvine sat on the other side of her in the backseat of the car while Seifer got in the front to drive. "If you like it here, then you'll like it even better at Balamb." 

Without another word, he drove off towards her other new home.

A. N. : I'll keep writing ASAP. I'll try to finish this in the next chapter or maybe in another one. We'll see, depending on how quickly my dad gets us hooked on to CompuServe. Review, please. Thanks.

__


	4. A Misunderstood Love

Disclaimer: Yada, yada, yada. I think I watch Seinfeld too much. 

"We're here," Seifer said. He got out of the car and opened the door from the outside for Irvine. Irvine got out. Zell opened the door on his side and got out. Quistis got out on Zells side. As soon as she stepped foot on the ground, she sprinted for the town not too far away. She didn't get far though. Zell chased after her and he easily caught up to her. 

Quistis held her head down and felt as if she were about to cry. _Who were these people? Why did they want her so bad? Did she really belong here? _

"Please don't hurt me," Quistis squeaked as they practically dragged her to the Garden. They didn't answer, but Zell looked back and shook his head as if to say: _We won't._

As soon as they stepped foot in the Garden, everyone gave Quistis looks. It reminded her of the first day she spent at Galbadia Garden. A group of students ran up to her and followed her, saying, "Hi, Quistis. We're _soooo_ glad your back. Don't worry, we made sure that nobody touched your things. We guarded your dorm day and night." Seifer turned and gave the group of girls and boys a look. They all cowered and stopped following them. "We love you, Quistis!" They yelled down that hall. 

Quistis turned her head to look at them, confused. "Who are they?" She asked Zell. 

"The clique that someone started. They started it because of you. They adore you." 

Quistis nodded a little. _Maybe it is possible that I belong here. _

They all walked into an elevator. Quistis squeezed in between the three large men. "Maybe I should just take the next one," she joked. Irvine and Zell chuckled, but Seifer didn't say anything. 

Quistis held her head down at the silly joke she made. For some reason, she wanted Seifers respect. She wanted him to notice her more and to acknowledge her. 

"Here we are," Seifer said as the elevator dinged. The doors opened with a swoosh and they all walked down a hallway. They were faced with large double doors. 

"Give me a few minutes with the Headmaster," Seifer said.   
Zell and Irvine nodded and they stood back as he walked in. 

Quistis took a seat on a bench and so did Zell and Irvine. 

"So," Zell said. "Where have you been all this time?" 

Quistis thought long and hard. "Well, I really don't know how I started off there, but I was in a hospital."

"A hospital?" Irvine asked. He crossed his legs, resting his ankle on his knee. "What happened?" 

Quistis sat straight as a panel of wood. "Well, that's what gets me. I don't remember what happened or where I was from. The doctor just said that I suffered a concussion and I had been out for a while. We went through a three week session where they tried to help me get my memory back, and I thought I had, but now I am more confused than ever." She clasped her hands together. "I don't know what to believe anymore." 

Zell put his hand on her shoulder. "You can believe us. We've known you forever. You can count on us." 

Quistis nodded. "Alright, but you have to give me time to myself. I have to do this alone. Get my memory back, I mean." 

They both nodded and Seifer walked out of the Headmasters office. "Quistis," he said. "The Headmaster wants to see you." 

Quistis nodded and she stood up. She slowly walked through the door and shut it behind her. She saw a stocky middle-aged man standing by the window. When he turned to face her, his face lit up with a smile. "Hello, Quistis. Seifer has informed me of your condition and I know that this is hard for you to deal with." He gestured to a seat and Quistis took it. "Well, I would like to hear your point of view of what happened since you've been away." He also took a seat. 

Quistis leaned forward, uncomfortably. "Um, well. I guess it started a little more than three weeks ago. I-uh. Well, I woke up in a hospital. The doctor asked me where I was from and what my name was, but I couldn't remember. So then he started naming some places and Galbadia Garden rang a bell. So, that's where I thought I was from." Quistis paused. Her voice was shaking and when she glanced down, her hands were trembling also. She tried to clasp them tighter to make them stop. "Well, the doctor said that I had suffered a concussion and that the paramedics found me near a beach and I hit my head. So, for three weeks they tried to help me get my memory back. So then after the three weeks, I left to live in Galbadia. I was only there a day, then, Seifer is it? Seifer and the other two brought me here today." Quistis kept her eyes on the floor. Her body felt hot and she knew that all the blood in her body had rushed up to her face. 

Cid nodded a bit. "I see," was all he said. He stood back up and paced the floor, which made Quistis even more nervous. Finally, he started to talk again. "Well, Seifer informed me of what happened and why. I'll inform you on this later during your stay. But for now, I will assign you with various individuals that will help you retrieve your memory back. To start you off, you will be paired off with Seifer Almasy. He will help you for one week, then after that week, you shall report back to me to see if you made any progress. Understood?" 

Quistis nodded. "Thank you, Headmaster," she looked at his name plate. "Headmaster Cid." 

Cid smiled and nodded. "You're welcome."  
Quistis nodded. and stood up as the door opened.

Seifer glanced at her, then at the Headmaster. "Is everything settled, then?" He asked. 

Cid nodded. "Dismissed." 

Seifer saluted Cid. Quistis looked at Seifer salute him and decided on doing the same. She lifted her left hand the same way Seifer did and held her stance. Her salute was perfect. 

"Good, Quistis," Cid said. "Good-bye. Report to me at the end of the week, the both of you." 

They both nodded and walked out of his office.

"Here's where you stay," Seifer said. "Your dorm is...." he looked at a card key and said, "room 304." He walked her to her dorm and opened the door. It opened with a swoosh and she looked inside. There were posters on the wall and her room was very neat. "This is how it was when you...left," he said. "Well, let's move on." 

Quistis gave her room one last glance before moving on. "Here's the cafeteria. It's where we eat, you know. And next is the Training Center. We train there. Next is the.."

"Wait," Quistis said. She was getting irritated of his monotonous attitude. "Can't you at least give this tour a little spunk? You now. Be a little more enthusiastic?" 

Seifer stopped and gave her a look. "Sorry, but I'm not really enthusiastic about showing you around, you know?" 

Quistis put her hands on her hips. "Well, it's not my fault. If you didn't want to get stuck with me, then you shouldn't have brought me back here." 

"Hey, I was following orders. You think that I wanted you back here in this Garden after the way you always treated me?" Seifer stood nose to nose with her.   
"Well, maybe if you act like you actually gave a damn about something, then maybe I wouldn't treat you like that." She stared back at him defiantly. 

"Well, you know what? There's nothing to give a damn about. You think I give a damn about you or helping you out?" 

"Well, you did when you saved me, right?" Quistis asked. 

Seifer opened his mouth to retreat, but then stopped. "What did you say?"

Quistis fidgeted. "What do you mean? I said 'Well maybe if you acted like you gave a damn about something-'."

"No, no. After that." 

"Why are you avoiding the subject anyways?" Quistis asked. "I can't remember what I said." 

"You said 'Well, you did when you saved me, right?' How do you know that?" 

"Seifer," Quistis said. "You are crazy. I didn't say that. Even if I did, it is totally irrelevant. I don't know what it means or why I said it. I blurt a lot of things out and dream a whole lot of things ever since I got out of the hospital. Now, why are you avoiding the subject?"

Seifer scoffed. "I am not avoiding the subject. I am just trying to help _you_ out."

Quistis smiled. "See? I knew you cared." With that, she started to walk off. 

Seifer followed her, boiling mad. 

"And try to be a little more enthusiastic, alright?" Quistis called back.

"Ok. So where do you want to eat lunch at? In town or do you want to go to the cafeteria?" Seifer had been showing Quistis the Garden the whole day. Time seemed to be against him when he looked at his watch. It only read 12:30. He could have swore that it was already time to go to sleep.

Quistis thought about it. "Let's go in town. If you don't mind." 

Seifer opened his mouth to response, but Quistis cut him off again. "I knew you wouldn't. Let's go." 

She walked to the parking lot and waited patiently at his car door. "Hurry, Seifer. I'm starving." 

Seifer mumbled something to himself and he got into the car. _Since when did Quistis become...so....so disrespectful? She never used to talk like this before. I almost want the old Quistis back. Almost._

He opened the door for Quistis and she got in. "Come on, let's go." 

Seifer shook his head, exasperated.

"I'll have a double cheeseburger and a side of French fries. Oh, wait. Make that onion rings. No, I want fries again. Oh," She turned to look at Seifer. "What did I always use to order?" 

Seifer put his menu down. "I don't know. Just pick something before the cafe closes, alright?"   
Quistis resumed into debating over fries or onion rings. "Ok. I made me decision." She stared at the menu to make sure she wanted it.

"Oh, goody," the waitress said. "What'll it be?" 

Quistis smiled. "I would like to change my whole order, please. I would like a slice of pepperoni pizza with two breadsticks. And I would like a refill of ginger ale, please. Thank you." She handed the waitress her menu and smiled sweetly. 

"And what would you like?" She asked Seifer. 

Seifer just gave her the menu. "I just lost my appetite." 

"Ok, I guess we need to talk now," Seifer said. He leaned back in his chair. It was already eight in the evening and they finally got back to the Garden so they can talk in the quiet of Seifers dorm. Time went progressively fast after lunch. After they ate, they skipped class and went to Deiling to see a parade that they had which was inaugurating a new mayor. Then they went to the Deep Sea Research Center so they can find some rare items that were rumored to be hidden there. 

"I guess we do," Quistis said. She leaned back the same way he did. This whole day, she had been putting up an act to get Seifer to notice her. It took her a while to actually get into the character but after she did, it turned out to be fun. And he sure did notice her. 

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Seifer asked. He rubbed his tired eyes. 

Quistis shrugged. "Whatever," she said. 

Seifer cringed. "Don't say 'whatever'."

"Why?" Quistis asked. 

"Because, you remind me of Squall saying 'whatever'. He always says it and it drives me wild." 

Quistis smiled evilly. "Whatever, whatever, whatever." 

Seifer scowled. "Anyways, let's get back to talking." 

"We just were," Quistis pointed out.

"No," Seifer said. "_We _weren't talking. _You _were sitting there annoying me. 

"Same thing," she said. 

Seifer scowled once more. "You need to stop being so out-spoken now and go back to being quiet old Quistis." 

Quistis frowned. "You mean boring old Quistis." 

"Same thing," Seifer joked. His joke fell short when he saw the hurt expression on her face.

She quickly recovered, though. "Well, that's ok, because I don't remember the old Quistis. I don't have to be ashamed of her if I don't know her, right? I like the new Quistis. It's just like learning all over again. And I get to spend time with-" Quistis stopped short and blushed. "I get to spend a lot of time with discovering who I want to be all over again."

Seifer blinked. _Was she just going to say what I thought she was going to say? _

"So, anyways," Quistis said, changing the subject. "What about you? What do you want to do with your life?" 

Seifer looked at the ceiling. "Well, I guess that I want to just become a fighter. I want to train to be the best. Right now, I am one step short, though."

Quistis stared at him. "That's all?" She asked.

Seifer sat up. "What's wrong with that?"

Quistis stretched her arms. "Well, that's kind of a waste in life. I mean, don't you want to see the world? Go explore things and see how other people around the world live from day to day without the common things we have to make out life better? I may have wanted to be a fighter before and I still have it in me now, but I also have that strive to make the world better. I want to help everyone out in the best way that I can." 

Sefier shook his head. "See? That's what I don't like. I hate the way everyone wants to make things better. A lot of things can get screwed up that way. This world was just fine until everyone discovered out how to make a light bulb and a telephone. They tried to make things better and they ended up screwing this world up. Now this world is going to die way beyond it's years because of our stupid selfishness to make things easier."

Quistis nodded. "I know what you mean, but I don't want to help out by doing something bad for the world. I just want to help people in general. Like all the homeless. And the sick or whatever."

Seifer scoffed. "But don't you think that one person is just a little short of an army?"

Quistis could feel herself get angry. "I didn't say that I was going to change the world, I just want to help out in any way I can. And helping out people isn't such a bad thing. Look at yourself. You're helping me out. If you think that helping people is wrong, then you're a hypocrite."

Seifer sneered. "Well, like I said before, I didn't want to help you. I was assigned to." 

Quistis jumped to her feet. "What are you talking about? You look me in the eye and tell me that everything you did today was assigned for you to do and you didn't have fun doing it." 

She paused for Seifer to say something. He didn't. 

"I think that you're just afraid. You're afraid of becoming close to someone for the same reason Squall is. You both are scared to lose someone." 

Seifer laughed and stood up, meeting her gaze. "Oh, and who do you think that I care for? You?" He spat the words out like it was poison. "Quistis, I am being so honest when I say this: I do not care for you. I never have and I never will. You are nothing to me than a thorn on my side and a big baby. Bigger than Rinoa. And I am going to tell you this now because you need to know it. It was eight weeks ago, give or take a few days. You cam up to me and begged me to talk to you. I didn't want to talk to you because you were annoying. Plain and simple. So, you tried to kill yourself. You attempted to jump off of the pier and you did. You jumped and if I had a right mind, I would have let you go. You hit your head and feeling obligated, I jumped in there after you to be the good guy. I felt that I needed to. And I almost killed myself in the progress. You think that you're the only one that got hurt? I broke my arm that day and I almost had to quit my fighting career. All because of you. What you did was a selfish thing and I disrespect you for that. And something else. You just have to get over that fairy tale fantasy where the girl and the guy always have to be together. Because it never works out. Never." 

Quistis took a small step back. Never in her life did words like that hurt her so much. And the funny thing was that she didn't know why it hurt so much. She opened her mouth to speak, but only a small squeak came out. _Think of something to say, _Quistis thought. _Don't show him that you're really hurt by what he said. Stay strong._

But she couldn't. Her face scrunched up and she tried her best to hold it in. _Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry. Ok.... you're going to cry, but leave now so he won't see you._ Without anything to retaliate with, she just looked at him then left the room without anything to say.

__

The next day

"Why'd you have to be such a jerk to her?" Selphie asked. They were all sitting at the breakfast table in the cafeteria and he told them about what happened yesterday...actually, they more pried it out of him. 

Seifer looked at his eggs. "I don't know. She's just becoming real annoying, you know? Not really annoying, but sort of....dependant. Like the way Rinoa is with Squall." 

Rinoas mouth opened in a small circle and she threw a piece of bread at him. 

"Well, that's how it went and I can't change it. She's just going to have to deal with life now." Seifer glanced around the table that had suddenly got quiet. He thought he had said something wrong, and then he realized that he did. Quistis was standing right there. 

She disregarded him and just stood there. "Hello, everyone," Quistis said, rather calmly. She didn't make an attempt to sit down. 

"Uh, have a seat, Quistis," Zell said. He nudged the chair next to him. 

Quistis shook her head. "No thank you. I am pleased to inform all of you that I have regained my memory back after last night. All the...help....that I received from Seifer paid off."

Everyone smiled at the table, glad to hear that the old Quistis was back. 

She held up her hand. "I'm not finished. In regaining my memory back, maybe I should tell you all what exactly what happened and why I was in the hospital." Quistis paused to look at everyone. "I felt as if I didn't really belong here. I was treated like an Instructor by all of you and not a friend. So, I went through, uh, depression if you will and I didn't know how to deal with it. So, I decided to take the easy way out. I tried to kill myself. Because of how jealous I was of all of you. I guess it was selfish of me to make that decision. And now I am making an even more selfish decision. I am deciding to leave Balamb Garden and transfer to Galbadia Garden today." 

Everyone at the table gasped and protested. All except Seifer. He just started down at his food.

"No, Quistis," Irvine said. "You can't leave. We all need you." 

Quistis scoffed. "Sure. Just like the way you all needed me before? Oh, wait, you all didn't talk to me before, so I guess that doesn't count. Don't you see? I can't stay here or I might try to kill myself again and this time I may succeed. So it's really your selfish decision if you try and make me stay because that shows that you really don't care. That you want me dead. Well, maybe one of you really wants me dead, so I guess it doesn't really matter." She stared directly at Seifer when she said this and he stared right back. 

"Well, I'm leaving right now so I can go off and....'and deal with life now'. Right Seifer?" She stared at him before she turned to leave. 

Quistis sat on the train once more. She felt as if she were going to be sick this time. She had lied to them all. She lied about regaining her memory back. And she lied about going to Galbadia Garden. She told Cid that just so she can get out of here. She didn't know what she was going to do. Just explore the world or something. To help people. That's what she wanted to do and she didn't care what other people thought about it. 

"You see?!" Selphie yelled at Seifer. She stood up angrily and felt like punching him. Lucky for him, Irvine was holding her back. "Because of you, Quisty is gone forever this time."

Seifer scoffed and poked at his food with his fork. "Who cares? I got my wish."

Selphie, unable to resist anymore, rushed at him and slapped his fork out of his hand. "You selfish pig. What do you think you're doing? Go out there and bring her back." 

Seifer sat stunned at Selphies change of attitude. "Are you kidding? What makes you think that she'll listen to me? Especially after today. You must be crazy."

"I don't care," Selphie said. "You have to go get her. You drove her away, now go to Galbadia and bring her back."

Seifer held his hands up as if defending himself. "Alright, I'll go and try to convince her, but I can guarantee you that she's not coming back." 

Selphie was shaking by now. "Well, that's a chance that I am willing to take." 

"I don't know why they got me going after her. It's not my decision that I made to transfer to Galbadia. That's her choice. They just have to deal with it." Seifer slammed his door shut and sped off to try and catch Quistis.

Ding

__

The train has arrived at Winhill. This is the last stop. I repeat. Winhill is the last stop. Please depart now. 

Ding

Quistis stood up and grabbed her large suitcase. She swung it over her shoulder and trudged off the train. This time there wasn't a nice old man to help her. 

She looked around Winhill. It had changed since the last time she was there. The streets had large pot holes in them and there was litter everywhere. Something that Laguna wouldn't have tolerated. 

The houses seemed more secluded than ever. All the curtains were drawn and the lights were off in every house. 

"Where do I go first?" Quistis asked herself. "Well, I need a job. And I need a place to stay. I guess I should get the job first." She walked the streets of Winhill, dragging her suitcase along behind her. She wiped away the small beads of sweat that formed over her eyebrows. The hot sun beat down on her back through her heavy vest and shirt underneath. She stopped a minute to rest her throbbing calves. Her suitcase was really a problem. If she wasn't carrying it, she would have gotten down the streets much quicker and more efficiently. 

__

I just need to rest now. Quistis thought. _I just need to rest. And I need some water. Rest and water. Water and rest. _The words blurred together until she passed out in the green grass. 

"What do you mean that she's not coming here?" Seifer asked. "She just told me this morning that she was transferring here."

The lady shook her head. "No, sorry, son. Quistis Trepe did not transfer here. Believe me, I would have known if the Quistis Trepe came here." 

Seifer nodded then turned to leave. "Oh well," he muttered. "That is her choice. I can't stop her form her decisions." Still, he felt as if he had let the one person that he cared for down. 

A. N.: Ok. This is the first half of the story. The next half will take place in five more years, where Quistis and the rest of the gang is in their....well, you do the math. 

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	5. And Five Years Later.......

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy. Only Squaresoft does, but I own the stories and the ideas used to create them. : P

"Quistis!" A voice yelled. "Get over here now!"

Quistis Trepe winced and dropped her bucket and sponge. Her master was calling her and she knew better than to wait too long before answering him. "Yes, Ashitaka?" Quistis questioned timidly. She was dreadfully frightened of her master because she knew that he could practically kill her if she didn't obey his ever command. If only she had her Save the Queen then she would be able to get away from this life. But when Ashitaka first took her in after she had collapsed that one day five years ago, he took everything valuable away from her. Her Save the Queen, her pride, heck, even her glasses. 

"Come over here." 

Quistis faced her master and kneeled to the floor. "Yes?" She kept her head down as he looked over her, disgusted at her filth. She tried her best to ignore the sneer that took over his face years ago. 

"Quistis, what did I tell you when I first brought you into my home over five years ago?" 

Quistis squeezed her eyes shut. His voice had been peculiarly calm and showed no anger. This frightened her. 

"Hmm?" Ashitaka continued. He stood up from his chair and paced around Quistis, daring her to answer. 

When she didn't, Ashitaka lifted his foot and kicked her in the ribs. 

Quistis gasped for air and clutched her side. A searing pain went through her body as he kicked her once again. Then again and again. 

"Answer me!" Ashitaka bellowed. He continued to kick her until Quistis didn't have any more strength and collapsed to the filthy floor. She wheezed for air as blood trickled from her mouth. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. This had been going on since the first day she arrived. Why she stayed, she didn't know. 

"I told you that whenever I tell you to do something, I expect it to be done right." Ashitaka kneeled down to her face and lifted it from the floor. He forced her to look him in the eyes. "Now tell me this, do you think that this is done right?" He turned her face to the dishes that lay in the dish rack. She didn't understand why he was so angry. She had done them less than an hour ago. Nothing seemed wrong. 

Ashitaka dropped her head to the ground and stood next to the dish rack. He lifted up a plate and brought it closer to her. She looked at it and saw that there was a smudge of dirt across it. 

Quistis sighed remorsefully. Now she was going to get it. 

"See that?" Ashitaka bellowed. He stood up and lifted the plate high in the air. Then he sent it down next to her head with a loud crash. 

Quistis squeezed her eyes shut as the plate missed her, but not by much. The shards of glass flew everywhere and left small cuts on her face. She waited a few seconds before opening her eyes again. When she did, Ashitaka was breathing hard, staring at her. "That, Miss Trepe is coming out of your pay check, which means no food for three days." 

Quistis let out a small cry in protest, but then quickly shut up, hoping that he did not hear her little squeak. 

"Oh, you want to make it a week then? Fine. No food for a week." 

Quistis shut her eyes and prayed to Hyne that somehow she would get through this. 

"And get up off my floor too." With that, Ashitaka stormed out of the house, with the key and her Save the Queen. 

Quistis kneeled down beside her small mat which was supposed to serve as her bed. All it basically was, was a small blanket with two cushions underneath it. But she was very thankful that she had it. If he wanted to, Ashitaka would take it from her, leaving her with nothing. 

__

Dear Hyne, Quistis prayed silently. If Ashitaka heard her, she would really get the beating of her life. He hated being wakened. Especially during the night. 

__

I pray that somehow I will get through this life. That someone will save me from this hell that I call home. I pray that I do not die. I will not let Ashitaka have the satisfaction of killing me. Help me be strong. Help me be brave. With that closing, Quistis laid down on her hard mat and covered up with the small moth eaten blanket and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of a new life. 

"Quistis! Time to get up and do chores!" 

Sighing, she stood up from her mat and walked into the living room where Ashitaka was lounging on his chair, waiting for breakfast. 

"What would you like this morning?" Quistis asked. She put on her apron and waited for his commands. 

"I would like.....eggs. With fresh milk and watermelon. You think you can handle that?"

Quistis nodded and removed her apron. If it was eggs he wanted, she would have to go into town and buy some with her own small pack of gil she possessed. Then she'd have to squeeze the milk out of the cow and clean it until it was healthy enough to drink. Then she'd have to go to the orchard and find a ripe watermelon for him. And this wasn't even the start of her chores. Later on she had to get fresh water from the well that was five miles away from his house, then she had to clean the house all over again since during the past night, he managed to make another mess somehow. 

"I'll be back in an hour or two," Quistis said sadly and began walking down the path that led to town. 

"Yes, I'd like a dozen eggs, please," Quistis said to the marketer. She held out a basket for the man to fill. 

He carefully put the 12 eggs in the basket and said, "That'll be fourteen gil, please." 

Quistis took out her packet of gil and looked at it. She only had seven gil. "Um, sir," Quistis said panicking, "I only have seven gil and I was wondering if..."

"Not a chance, lady," he replied, not letting her finish. 

"But my master. He would kill me if he knew...."

"Not my problem, lady. Now either come up with fourteen gil, or you get only five eggs." 

Quistis breathed hard. She needed twelve eggs or Ashitaka would kill her. She felt her skin go hot and fiery tears threaten to fall down her black grungy face. 

"Please, sir. I'll pay you double the next time I buy eggs. I promise." 

The man shook his head. "No. Either take what you have worth or get out of here."

Quistis glanced down at the floor, thinking. She put her hand in her pocket and took out a small pendant that she has had ever since she joined Garden ten years ago. It was worth everything to her, but her life was worth much more. "How much will you give me for this?" she asked. She held the shiny metal out for him to examine. It had a picture of her and the gang when they were younger. They were all smiling except for Quistis. She just stared at the camera sadly. Even at that age she knew she didn't belong. 

He stared at it. "20 gil." 

"Huh!?" Quistis exclaimed. "It's worth two hundred gil! It's real silver. The best in all of this continent!" She clutched the pendant to her chest, protecting it. 

"Hey, it's either twenty gil or nada. What do ya say?" 

Quistis stared at the pendant a little longer. It was a prized possession. Something that reminded her of the old days. 

__

But what were the old days? Quistis debated. _You didn't fit in. Why hold onto that memory? Just let it go. Besides, this is your life we're talking about. Do something that you know is right. _

She was about to hand over her pendant to sell when someone stopped her. They clutched onto her hand and put it back at her side. 

"That's a very lovely pendant," a voice purred. "I would hate to see it go to waste. I'll buy you those eggs." The man tossed fourteen gil over to the marketer. "There you go." 

"Please, sir," Quistis begged. "I can not take your money. If my master found out..." 

The man scoffed. "You're not taking my money. I just gave it to the man. You keep your money and spend it on something good for yourself." 

"But my master...." Quistis protested. 

"Forget about your master. If he asks, then just tell him to deal with Seifer Almay." 

Quistis bowed her head and nodded. "Thank-" She stopped short. _Seifer Almasy!?_

"Wait!" She called. She looked up, but he was nowhere to be found. 

By the time Quistis got home, she nearly forgot about the encounter with Seifer. Ashitaka had ordered her to do more chores as soon as she got finished with his breakfast. Her day seemed more longer than usual. Partly because she wanted to get out of the house so bad so she can find out if Seifer really was in town. When the time came for her to go get some water from the well, she jumped at the chance and set off happily. 

__

And what if Seifer really is here? Quistis thought. _Would that really change anything? I mean, he is still the one who made me leave town. He drove me away from everyone with his arrogance and his comments about me being mediocre....no, that was my fault. I left willingly. He didn't force me away. I just looked for an excuse to leave. That's what I was waiting for all my life. Dumb excuses to leave. And here on finally comes and my life turns out more screwed up that imaginable. What a life. _

Quistis continued to walk down the long path in a daze. She didn't notice the small children that ran in circles around her legs or the dogs that begged for food. She didn't even notice the light rainfall that had begun. But she did notice a large man walking towards her on the same path. He hadn't noticed her yet, but he was getting closer with every long stride he took. 

Quickly, Quistis ducked behind a large tree. She held her breath and tried to make herself smaller. Her heart began to race. She didn't really get to see the man, but she did see that he was very tall and built. Not built like the way Zell was, but not as tall as Irvine. And he definitely wasn't Squall because he had blonde hair, not brown. Who else could it be? 

Quistis held her breath for as long as she could, but she had to let it out soon. As quietly as possible, she let her breath out in a long breath. Her chest burned for air. Then she could see him. It was definitely Seifer. He still even had the same trench coat, though he hadn't been wearing it earlier. He did seem much older. He was already in his late twenties, as was she. But he wasn't balding or even showing a hint of aging. He still had the same boyish good looks. She felt her heart race again. She didn't know what it was or what it meant, but it ached terribly. 

__

Should I jump out? Quistis asked herself, biting her lower lip. She could feel the familiar sting on her chapped lips. _Should I tell him that it's me? The real Quistis Trepe. Full memory and all. _She watched him walk down the path further, slowly losing a grip on reality. The further he went, the more she wanted to cry out. But she knew she couldn't. She's the one who said that life doesn't begin or end as a fairy tale. She knew it wasn't possible for him to forgive her or to even consider it. She was beginning to understand how he first felt when he came back to Balamb and she rejected him. Now she knew all was lost for her life. Sadly, she continued on her way to the well, her footsteps dragging even more mournfully than before. 

A knock was heard on Ashitakas door. "Quistis! Is that you? I told you to go get the damn water!"

Ashitaka stormed out of his chair and swung open the door, ready to hit Quistis. But instead of Quistis, he saw a man in his late twenties, early thirties. 

"Yes?" Ashitaka asked. He lost the temper and looked at the man curiously. 

He coughed. "Is this a bad time?" He started. Then he remembered what Ashitaka said. "Did you say the name Quistis?" 

Ashitaka opened his door wider and made him seem welcome. "Come in, come in. Have a seat. I was just waiting on my servant. She went to get water not too long ago. I just thought that she was back." 

Ashitaka took the trench coat from the man. "Now, who might you be, young fellow?" 

He gave his coat to Ashitaka gratefully and took a seat. "My name is Seifer. Seifer Almasy. I'm in town for three days, recruiting for the Garden that I work with. I just came by to ask if there were any eligible male or female students who would like to train under us." He paused. "Might there be any available?" 

Ashitaka shook his head. "Nope. Not in this household. Just me and my servant."

Seifer nodded and cupped his chin. "And who is this servant? Is he between the ages of thirteen and thirty? If so, we could really use him on our squad."

Ashitaka shook his head. "No. And it's really a she. She's not the type that'll do good in fighting anyways. Weak as anything. There's actually a family three miles up that have a whole household of children that might interest ya." Ashitaka pointed up the hill that Seifer came from. 

"Three miles?" Seifer asked. "Isn't there anything closer?" 

Ashitaka shook his head. "No. The closest is them. But if you go the other way, there's another house, but that's five miles down. Best way there is using a cart. Unfortunately, I don't have one that you can borrow. If I did, I'd let ya." 

Seifer seemed to think a moment. "Well, may I ask a favor of you?"

Ashitaka hesitated. "Sure. You name it." 

"May I stay here the night? It's already late and I have been traveling this whole day. I'm afraid that if I were to walk any longer, I would collapse of dehydration."

Ashitaka thought a moment. "Well, sure. My servant will be back any time now with water so you can quench you thirst. Let's see, you'll need something to sleep on." Ashitaka disappeared into Quistis room and brought out her mat. "This is the only thing that we have. Unless you'd like to sleep on the floor. This has plenty of cushion and I'm sure that you'd be alright with this."

Seifer nodded. "Of course. Thank you very much, sir."

Ashitaka nodded and looked out the window, wondering where in the hell Quistis was with that water. 

"And sir?" Seifer asked. 

"Yes?" Ashitaka questioned. 

"What's your name? I don't think that I caught it when I first arrived." 

Ashitaka smiled politely. "Ashitaka. I have no last name, since I came from no family." 

Seifer nodded knowingly and watched as the night began to grow darker. "Are you worried about your servant?" Seifer asked. "It's almost black out. Will she be alright?" 

Ashitaka nodded. "She does this all the time. She knows her way around here well. She's been living me for five years. I saved her life, so the least she could do to repay me was become my servant. I took care of her, fed her."

Seifer stared at the ceiling. "Really? Where did you find her?" 

"Well, she was collapsed on the grass. I had been out getting food for myself when I saw her lying there. So I took her in."

Seifer nodded and laid on the floor mat. He used his trench coat to cover his chilled body. He glanced around the small home. It was cluttered, though it had tried to be cleaned so many times. He looked over everything, glancing at some rare items. There were rare cards on the mantel over the fireplace, and a whip hung on a nail not too far from that. Next to the whip there were.....wait. 

Seifer sat up on his mat. "Where did you get that whip?" Seifer asked Ashitaka. "It is the rarest of that type and it is said that only a woman can handle it correctly." 

Ashitaka glanced over. "Well, the girl that I found was carrying it on her side. You say it's rare? How much do ya think it's worth?" Ashitaka leaned over excitedly. 

Seifer didn't say anything, but he knew that everything was coming into place now. 

Tiredly, Quistis bent down to lay the bucket filled with water down on the grass. She laced her fingers together behind her back and bent backwards to crack her back. She stared up at the crescent moon. It seemed awkward how everything could seem so peaceful, but really it was just chaos. She stared at the sky dreamily, wishing to become one with it. But the reality came back on her and she turned to go inside the house. Before she had a chance to turn all the way around, someone had grabbed her from behind and placed a cloth on her mouth. 

Quistis struggled for a moment, but then she began to feel dizzy. The world spun as her mind told her to go to sleep. Then she finally did. 

A.N.: Hey, I'm back finally with the next chapter!!!! Sorry it took so long, but there were some personal problems that I had to deal with. Now that everything is straightened out, though, I am ready to write again!! So, review as high or as low as you want. I'll get the next chapter rolling ASAP. I promise!!!


	6. Finding Quistis

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, so get over it already!!! 

"Who the hell did you drag in?" 

__

Where am I?

"You not going to believe this, but..."

__

Who's there?

"It can't be......" 

__

What happened?

"It is."

__

Wait......

"Quistis?"

Quistis Trepe took a deep breath as her eyes fluttered open, but were then quickly shut because of the bright light that seemed to burn her eyes. Squinting, she attempted to open them again, this time more slowly. The light seemed to grow more brighter as she looked around. She had no idea where she was, though somewhere deep in her foggy memory, she already knew. It seemed familiar, but she just couldn't think of where she was. 

"Where...?" she croaked out. Her throat was terribly scratchy and she had a god awful headache. She struggled to sit up, but the room spun and she fell back down. She whimpered a little and struggled to keep from throwing up. When the room stopped spinning, she again sat up, careful not to become dizzy again. 

She rubbed her eyes a little to clear all the sleepy gunk that had formed around the corners. When she got a clearer look, she gasped. It all looked way too familiar. Deep in her heart she knew where she was, but her mind had forced those memories out so many times that it was just too confusing for her to remember, so she just stopped trying to remember. 

Taking a careful step down, she had finally realized that she had been laying down on a bed. Not really a bed, but more of a medical gurney. Like she had just been at the hospital. 

Taking another step, she found that she was all alone in the room. There was no sign of life what-so-ever and she found herself actually wondering if she was the only alive person there. 

__

Stop acting so stupid, Quistis told herself. _Somebody brought you here. You can't be alone. _

As quietly as she could, Quistis tip-toed across the room to a nearby door. Making sure she wasn't heard, she pressed the small button that rested next to the door. The door swooshed open and she crept out. 

"Commander Squall, we are about twenty minutes to arrival. Would you like me to check up on Quistis?" 

Squall glanced over at Zell. He hated the way Zell always teased him about being the commander. He would do it day and night. 

"Yes, you can go check on Quistis." 

Zell nodded and ran off to the small infirmary they let her rest in. 

"And Zell?" Squall called back. 

Zell turned around. 

"Don't call me commander." Squall grabbed the television remote control and threw it at Zell who easily caught it. 

"Right," Zell grinned and ran off again. 

__

Now where do I go? Quistis asked herself. She had been walking around the vessel for about three minutes and she was already lost. She didn't know which door she had come through. Hoping to find someone, she just basically walked around in circles. 

Then she saw a large window around the corner. She walked over it, curious to where she was. She peered out and gasped in shock. They were flying! And she was terribly afraid of heights. She backed away from the window and walked close to the wall, clinging to the cold metal. Then she closed her eyes and prayed to Hyne that they wouldn't crash. 

"Quistis?" Zells voice whispered. He peeked through the door to find the room was dark. 

__

Funny, he thought. _I don't remember turning this light off when I checked up on her last time. _

Zell steeped into the room now, still unaware that she was missing. Then he saw it. Her covers had been sprawled in a heap on the ground. He rushed to her bed and saw up close that it was empty. 

__

Oh, no! Squall's gonna KILL me! Then he ran back to the cockpit to inform Squall of what the situation was. 

"What!" Squall said and stood up abruptly. Then he sat down and seemed to calm down. "Well, it's not a really big deal. It's not like she could really go anywhere. She can't be lost. We'll find her. Just assemble the rest of the guys and split up so you can find her faster."

"Yes, Commander Squall," Zell said and sped off to find the others. 

"And don't call me Commander Squall!" He yelled after Zell, but he was already gone. 

"So now we have to find her because she's lost," Zell said, panting as he told the story for the third time now. For some reason, they didn't seem to understand him the first time he told it. 

"Ohhhhh!" Selphie said. "You're telling us that you lost Quistis when you were supposed to be in charge of looking out for her and now you want us to help you find her because if we don't then the Headmaster will have out heads?" 

Zell thought for a moment. "Close enough. Now let's going! Squall wants us to find her before we land. So, let's get moving. Everyone meet back here in ten minutes." 

Everyone split up and went their separate ways to search for Quistis. 

"What the hell....?" Seifer asked himself. He walked briskly along the Ragnarok, tired of playing Quistis game of hide-n-go-seek. He was tired of chasing her. For the past ten years now. It was always, 'I'm the victim here. I have to leave in order to get my life back together.' The exact opposite happened. When he found out that she was living as a servant in Winhill, he freaked. All that time they had figures she had died. She left without telling anyone where she was going......well she told, but that was a lie. She wasn't going back to Galbadia Garden at all. 

It had been earlier that day that he found Quistis. He was even staying in her house and he didn't even know it until he found her Save the Queen hanging on Ashitakas wall. It was then when he knew that Quistis was alive. He drugged Ashitakas drink while he wasn't looking so he could fall asleep much easier. When he was out, Seifer found that Quistis had arrived just ten minutes later and he sneaked up on her, drugging her the same way he drugged Ashitaka. He didn't want to drug her, but he feared that she wouldn't cooperate otherwise. So he brought her aboard the Ragnarok so they can all go back to their normal lives....hopefully. 

Now he was here again, playing the same old games. Hide-n-go-seek. He always hated that game anyways.

"Damn you, Quistis," Seifer whispered. He was just about to repeat himself when he turned the corner, but then his feet went from under him. He fell forward onto the hard metal and cursed loudly, ready to beat anything that made him fall. He snapped his head around to curse at someone when he saw that it was Quistis. She was on the ground also and she was huddled against the corner. She seemed, frightened. 

Seifers features changed from anger to concern, but only slightly. "Quistis, are you alright?" he asked, holding his hand out to help her up. Then he realized that she had already been on the ground all huddled up. 

"Quistis," Seifer sighed impatiently. "Come on. We have to get you cleaned up for the arrival at Balamb." Quistis for the first time opened her eyes and squinted up at Seifer. Her face scrunched up in confusion as she tried to remember who this older man standing in front of her was, but she quickly remembered. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around him, surprising him. Seifer didn't hug back right away until he felt her sobbing onto his shoulder. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held her as tight as he could. He couldn't believe that Quistis was here now. Standing with him in the same room with out them two getting into a fight. It was all surreal. 

"I-I was so scared," Quistis racked out between sobs. "I thought that I was going to.....that I was going to...."

"Don't say it," Seifer soothed. He stroked her rough worn out hair. It was filthy, but all that didn't matter now. All that mattered was that she was safe.

A.N.: Next chapters coming soon!!


End file.
